Samantha realized two minutes after the fishing boat left the harbor she'd made a terrible mistake. On the Primrose, concerned with manning the oars and finding the mainland, she had resisted seasickness. On Mr. Pryde's fishing boat, with nothing to do but feel the craft toss from side to side, her stomach began to churn.
She should have stayed on the dock to keep Prudence company until they returned with the Primrose. She sat on a toolbox at the rear of the boat, pressing a hand to her face to ward off the stench of dead fish mixed with diesel fuel threatening to suffocate her. As she suffered, Wendell stood with Mr. Pryde in the wheelhouse, pestering Mr. Pryde with questions about how the boat worked. Joseph worked at unknotting several lengths of rope they might need to haul the Primrose off the beach. He glanced over at her from time to time without saying anything.
She put down her hand and tried to smile at him, but a moment later grimaced from the rocking of the boat. "Do you want to go back?" he asked.
"I'm fine," she said. "I just need to get my sea legs."
"It takes a little getting used to," Joseph said. "I threw up the first time Mom let me go with Dad on the boat." Samantha's stomach tightened at this. Joseph's face turned red. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that. It helps if you close your eyes and take some deep breaths. Pretend you're in a bathtub at home."
Samantha closed her eyes and tried to imagine a peaceful bathtub. Instead, she thought of the stream her first morning in Eternity. The current took hold of her and sent her careening away until Prudence managed to snatch a handful of Samantha's hair and haul her up to the surface. She shivered at this memory. She opened her eyes and leaned over the side to throw up.
Joseph came over, brushing hair away from her face. "It's all right," he said. "Try to relax. Don't think about-"
Samantha whirled around, shoving Joseph away. He collapsed onto a pile of netting. "Quit telling me what to do!" she said. "I can take care of myself."
"I'm sorry," Joseph said. His face turned redder. He scuttled away to the bow for the rest of the trip to the beach. Samantha sat back down on the toolbox, her nausea replaced by anger. This Joseph wasn't much better than the one who'd hit her and nearly killed her, Prudence, and Wendell. He still thought he could control her. She'd agreed to give him a second chance, but now she knew it was a mistake.